Dual purpose gunsight



1966 J. OBLACK ETAL DUAL PURPOSE GUNSIGHT Filed Dec. 18, 1964 Fig.3

Jae ObIac/r Leona L. Ob/ack 1N VENTORS BY W mg United States Patent 3,281,941 DUAL PURPOSE GUNSIGHT Joe Oblack and Leona L. Oblack, both of Rte. 3, Box 387-A, Gold Breach, Oreg. Filed Dec. 18, 1964, Ser. No. 419,389 3 Claims. (CI. 33-53) This invention relates to an improved dual purpose rear gunsight, more particularly, a peep sight for use atop the rearward end portion of rifles, shotguns and similar firearms.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical and reliable peep sight having self-contained selectively usable means which can be oriented and coordinated with a suitable front sight or bead and can be aptly and satisfactorily employed to cope with windage and canting variations, whereby to enable the gunner to aim and bring the target (game, birds and other prey) in proper focus preparatory to firing his gun.

Briefly, the invention is characterized by an adapter unit, more particularly, an elongated base plate having a trans verse wedge-type key on its bottom which can be anchored in a keyway or groove provided therefor in the guns barrel. The rearward end portion of the plate, which is flexible and resilient, overhangs a longitudinal groove provided with an adjustable toothed elevating rack, the latter cooperable with said rearward end portion. A novel peep sight is hingedly mounted on and supported by the rearward end portion of the plate.

The featured aspect of the concept has to do with a rear peep sight which has two positions; namely, an up position and a down folded position. When the peep sight is up the gunner peers through the rimmed opening and takes his aim with the aid of a pair of horizontal and vertical axially intersecting hairs. When it is in the folded horizontal position the gunner resorts to the use of forward and rearward accurately and diametrically registering up opening V-notches oriented and coordinating with the usual front sight or head. Accordingly, with this simple innovation a single peep sight serves the overall handling needs of the user in an effective simplified manner.

To the ends desired, a suitably wide ring-like band provides the hair carrying and mounting frame. This frame is essentially circular but has a minimal bottom portion of the adapter plate. More significantly, the aforementioned V-shaped aiming notches are formed in one marginal edge of the frame, more specifically, the edge which faces upwardly when the frame is folded forwardly and downwardly atop the adapter plate. Then, too, these notches are aligned with the vertical hair and when the frame is firmly seated in its folded level position atop the plate they register with each other and the aforementioned front sight.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of a dual purpose rear type gunsight constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention and showing how it is mounted on a gun barrel, the barrel being shown in phantom lines.

FIGURE 2 is a view also in perspective and much the same as FIGURE 1 except that it shows how the peep sight is swung from an upstanding or vertical position to a forwardly and downwardly folded position.

FIGURE 3 is a view showing a fragmentary portion of the gun barrel and also showing how the adapter plate is mounted, showing the gunsight up in full lines and down in phantom lines and also showing a rack-type elevator; and

3,281,941 Patented Nov. 1, 1966 "ice FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the plane of the vertical section line 44 of FIGURE 3.

The adapter unit is denoted by the numeral 6 and the improved two-way or dual purpose rear sight is denoted at 8.

The adapter unit comprises an elongated spring steel flat faced plate 10 having the usual pointed forward end 12 'and provided intermediate its ends on its underneath side with a transverse wedge-shaped mounting and anchoring block 14 held in place by a fastener 16 and fitted into a dovetail-shaped keeper groove 18 (FIGURE 3) formed in the top peripheral surface of the gun barrel 20. The rearward end portion 22 of this plate is flexible and resilient and the terminal rearward end 24 overhangs a longitudinal groove or slot 26 which is cut in the top of the barrel to accommodate a tapered toothed elevating rack 28. This type of groove and rack is not new, it being understood that the rack teeth engage the flexible rearward portion 24 in a manner to adjust the elevation of the plate. As a matter of fact, the plate itself is of a common type but has been detailed here to provide the necessary supporting and mounting feature for the improved rear peep sight 8.

The peep sight 8 comprises, broadly speaking, a suitable frame which is hingedly mounted. More specifically, the frame comprises a generally circular ring-like relatively wide metal or equivalent band 30 having a segmental bottom portion 32 which is fiat as shown in FIGURES 1 and -2 and which is provided with integrally attached spaced knuckles 34 aligned with a complemental knuckle 36 on the plate-end 32, the knuckles being joined by an assembling pintle or hinge pin. With this construction it will be evident that the ring-like band or frame can assume a firm upstanding or up position when it is employed in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 1. On the other hand, it can be folded forwardly and downwardly so that, when in the position shown in FIGURE 2, the then existing lower marginal edge 38 resides firmly atop the fiat surface of the adapter plate. The then existing upper marginal edge 40 comes into play in that it is provided with a forward upwardly opening V-notch 42 and a diametrically opposite and properly aligned rear upwardly opening V-notch 44. These two notches are identical in dimension and properly lined up with each other, also with the pointed end 12 of the adapter plate 'and, in addition, oriented and coordinated with the usual front sight (not shown) on the gun barrel. This frame is provided on its interior with a pair of sighting crosshairs, the horizontal one being denoted at 46 and the vertical one at 48. These hairs are 'also customary and are axially intersected at the precise centerpoint of the sight opening. Also the V-notches 42 and 44 are in line with the vertical crosshair 48, that is vertical when it is in the up position shown in FIGURE 1 but horizontal when it is in the down position shown in FIGURE 2. In practice it will be obvious that the adapter plate is fitted atop the gun barrel in the manner illustrated in detail in FIGURE 3. When in this position, the rearward end portions 22 and 24 overhang the slot 26 to permit the shiftable elevating rack 28 to come into play whenever necessary or desired. It can be assumed that normally the flat bottomed ring or frame constituting the rear peep sight 8 is in the upstanding or vertical position shown in FIGURE 1 'at which time the crosshairs and the sight opening come into play in enabling the gunner to aim and focus on the front sight and also on the target, whatever the target may be. When not desiring to use the sight in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 1, it can be folded forwardly and downwardly to assume the down position shown in FIGURE 2 where-upon the then upwardly facing notches 42 and 44 come into play in conjunction with the point 12 and the front side (not 3 shown) so that the notches can be aptly used for sighting, aiming and focusing purposes.

It is believed that a careful consideration of the specification in conjunction with the views of the drawings will enable the reader to obtain a clear and comprehensive understanding of the invention, the construction of the component parts, the manner in which they are oriented and coordinated and the manner in which they can be most satisfactorily used. Accordingly, a more extended description is regarded unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination with the barrel of a firearm having a front sight, a dual purpose rear sight including base means secured to said barrel, a convertible rear sight includin g a substantially closed frame defining a medial plane and including a pair of opposite sides disposed on opposite sides of said medial plane and also defining a base edge portion extending along one marginal portion of said frame, means pivota'lly securing said base edge portion to said base means for oscillation relative thereto about an 'axis extending along said base edge portion and transversely of said barrel between a first position with said medial plane disposed generally normal to the longitudinal center line of said barrel and a second position with said medial plane rotated approximately 90 and generally paralleling said center line, said frame including portions thereof projecting inwardly of its peripheral portions and defining a visual reference point centrally disposed relative to said frame 'and usable in conjunction with said front sight to define a line of sight extending therebetween when said frame is in said first position, said frame including notch means opening upwardly of said frame and lying on said line of sight when said frame is in said second position whereby said portions projecting inwardly of the peripheral portions of said frame and defining a visual reference point and said notch means may be selectively utilized in the corresponding positions of said frame to define the same line of sight.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said notch means includes first and second notches formed in said base edge portion and the opposite swingable marginal portion of said frame, respectively, both notches being disposed on said line of sight.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said base means includes a portion shiftable vertically relative to said barrel when the latter is horizontally disposed and from which said frame is pivotally supported, and means operatively connected between said barrel and said portion of said base means for adjustably varying the elevation of said portion of said base means relative to said barrel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 285,474 9/ 1883 Farrington 33-53 807,710 12/1905 Bassell et al 33-47 1,257,000 2/ 1918 Hewes 3-35 3 1,288,379 -1'2/1-918 Burton B 353 1,357,095 10/ 1920 Kaempfer 3353 LEONARD FORMAN, Primary Examiner.

SAMUE'L S. MATTHEWS, Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH THE BARREL OF A FIREARM HAVING A FRONT SIGHT, A DUAL PURPOSE REAR SIGHT INCLUDING BASE MEANS SECURED TO SAID BARREL, A CONVERTIBLE REAR SIGHT INCLUDING A SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSED DEFINING A MEDIAL PLANE AND INCLUDING A PAIR OF OPPOSITE SIDES DIPOSED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID MEDIAL PLANE AND ALSO DEFINING A BASE EDGE PORTION EXTENDING ALONG ONE MARGINAL PORTION OF SAID FRAME, MEANS PIVOTALLY SECURING SAID BASE EDGE PORTION TO SAID BASE MEANS FOR OSCILLATION RELATIVE THERETO ABOUT AN AXIS EXTENDING ALONG SAID BASE EDGE PORTION AND TRANSVERSELY OF SAID BARREL BETWEEN A FIRST POSITION WITH SAID MEDIAL PLANE DISPOSED GENERALLY NORMAL TO THE LONGITUDINAL CENTER LINE OF SAID BARREL AND A SECOND POSITION WITH SAID MEDIAL PLANE ROTATED APPROXIMATELY 90* AND GENERALLY PARALLELING SAID CENTER LINE, SAID FRAME INCLUDING PORTIONS THEREOF PROJECTING INWARDLY OF ITS PERIPHERAL PORTIONS AND DEFINING A VISUAL REFERENCE POINT CENTRALLY DISPOSED RELATIVE TO SAID FRAME AND USABLE IN CONJUNCTION WITH SAID FRONT SIGHT TO DEFINE A LINE OF SIGHT EXTENDING THEREBETWEEN WHEN SAID FRAME IS IN SAID FIRST POSITION, SAID FRAME INCLUDING NOTCH MEANS OPENING UPWARDLY OF SAID FRAME AND LYING ON SAID LINE OF SIGHT WHEN SAID FRAME IS IN SAID SECOND POSITION WHEREBY SAID PORTIONS PROJECTING INWARDLY OF THE PERIPHERAL PORTIONS OF SAID FRAME AND DEFINING A VISUAL REFERENCE POINT AND SAID NOTCH MEANS MAY BE SELECTIVELY UTILIZED IN THE CORRESPONDING PORTIONS OF SAID FRAME TO DEFINE THE SAME LINE OF SIGHT. 